Agriculture and Aborigines--Nantou Rest Stop

Near the Nantou County township of Minchien and 232 kilometers down National Highway 3 sits Nantou Rest Stop. At present it is under the management of food company Hsin Tung Yang, and is painted with bold, colorful Bunun motifs, an illustration of the unique culture of the local Aboriginal tribe.

The Nantou stop has a reputation as the favorite rest stop of the elderly. With its collection of eateries, the Nantou stop shares much in common with the other stops, but the big attraction for the older folk is Hsin Tung Yang's supermarket. In addition to selling the company's own products and other brands they represent, this supermarket also works with the farmers' associations of Nantou's various townships, selling all kinds of locally-made sweet potato products from Chushan Township, and a variety of plum products made in Hsinyi, including salted plums and plum vinegar. These give the older generation a taste of home, and here they can buy these things to their hearts' content.

The second floor of the Nantou stop is split between an Aboriginal-style restaurant and an old-fashioned Tang-dynasty-style teahouse. Liang Huan-shuo, manager of the stop, explains that they spent NT$15 million on designing and equipping the second floor. The teahouse in particular was an effort; the wooden tables and chairs used aren't simply held together by nails, but rather by interlocking segments, and a set of one table and four chairs cost NT$100,000. The lanterns that hang from the ceiling were specially commissioned and hand-made by nationally renowned artist Wu Tun-hou of Lukang at a cost of NT$60-70,000 each.

The Tang teahouse, complete with waterfall, has become famous for its "Health and Vitality Tea," which sells for NT$160 per pot. The tea includes nine different medicinal herbs. Sitting in the mountain scenery of the rest stop and sipping this tea is a truly uncommon way of relaxing.

Aside from simply being astounding, the success of Nantou Rest Stop has people wondering, if the licensing term for these stops is only five or six years, why was Hsin Tung Yang willing to spend so much on it?

Liang explains that the National Freeway Bureau initially supplied the hardware for the rest stop, while all the furnishing costs were to be absorbed by the operators. Hsin Tung Yang's management has full faith in the government's determination to improve the standard of rest stops. Despite this being the first time they've tried, after working from the feedback and cooperation they've received, both sides were willing to invest a great deal of effort and money into the enterprise. The ultimate goal for Hsin Tung Yang is to continue operating the stop indefinitely.

The coffee for sale in this stop emphasizes "local flavor." Hsin Tung Yang has enthusiastically supported genuine Taiwanese coffee, and Nantou's Hueisun Forest has set up their own Hueisun Coffee store there. Although the manager, Mr. Lin, doesn't want to come down from the mountains himself, he has been more than happy to supply roasted beans, which have given this "roadside coffee" its distinctive local flavor. Sitting in this expansive mountain setting, the flavor and spirit of this coffee has come just in time to perk up the spirits of Taiwan's travelers.

What's the rush? At a cost of NT$15 million, this rest stop has been equipped with a Tang-style tea house, complete with its own little waterfall, for visitors to relax and enjoy the atmosphere while sipping on their tea.

The Nantou stop has become a favorite with the elderly, and the trick to this is the Hsin Tung Yang supermarket in the stop, which offers a mouthwatering array of local specialty products.